30. Dwayne Bacon – Charlotte Hornets
It’s going to be a long, miserable season for the Charlotte Hornets. They lost the best player in franchise history to free agency when Kemba Walker signed with the Boston Celtics.
The Hornets roster is pretty well depleted as they will have Terry Rozier manning the point guard spot, Nicolas Batum at shooting guard, a promising young player in Miles Bridges at power forward, and a revolving door at center.
There will be opportunities for Bacon this season and the Hornets front office will want to see what they have in the 2017 2nd round pick. He has only played 15.3 minutes per game for his career per Basketball-Reference and started just 19 of 96 career games he’s appeared in.
Bacon did shoot a promising 43.7% from three last season, however, it was only on 2 attempts per game.
29. Tony Snell – Detroit Pistons
At this point in his career, Tony Snell is what he is. The Pistons acquired him on the eve of the 2019 NBA Draft as a throw-in due to his salary. They sent Jon Leur to the Milwaukee Bucks and also received a first-round pick in addition to Snell.
Snell, however, is the projected starting small-froward in Detroit this season. The former first-round pick hasn’t exactly panned out, but he is a fantastic shooter.
More from King James Gospel
- 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
- The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
- 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
- 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
- This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead
Per Basketball-Reference, Snell has knocked in 38.2% of his three-point attempts for his career on 3.1 attempts per game. His best season came in 2016-17 when he averaged 8.5 points per game.
28. Rodions Kurucs – Brooklyn Nets
Needless to say, next season, the Brooklyn Nets will secure a higher spot in our pre-season position rankings as Kevin Durant should be back from injury.
The Nets, however, do like what Rodions Kurucs brings to the table. The 2018 second-round draft pick out of Latvia has gobs of potential and he could surprise some this season playing alongside Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert.
According to Basketball-Reference, Kurucs averaged 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 45% from the floor during his rookie season.